KNOWN FOR rolling hills of sage grasslands, ponderosa pine forests and a host of unique critters, the Great Basin Desert is also home to British Columbia's latest showcase of cultural ecotourism. Built in the middle of Canada's only true desert, the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre offers visitors an opportunity to experience the history, traditions and environment of the Okanagan people.

The $9.5 million state-of-the-art interpretive centre, in Osoyoos, B.C., opened last summer. It is an addition to a massive complex owned by the Osoyoos Indian Band, which already includes the awardwinning Nk'Mip Cellars winery, Sonora Dunes Golf Course and Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa. It's also the first of three aboriginal cultural centres planned to open in the province before the 2010 Winter Olympics. (The others will be in Whistler and Haida Gwaii.)

Subtly emerging from a hillside, almost completely camouflaged by its surroundings, the centre's main building features rammed-earth walls and a green roof. Its 1,900 square metres encompass indoor and outdoor galleries and a reconstructed traditional Okanagan village, complete with two pit houses and a sweat lodge.

A display of artwork by children from a local school in the 1930s and 1940s adorns one gallery, and a film about a young girl who returns to her roots after a summer at the reserve plays in one of the facility's theatres. Outdoor exhibits include interactive hands-on stations, such as digging for artifacts and storytelling in tipis.

For nature lovers, desert hiking trails wind through 20 hectares of land with views of Osoyoos Lake and glimpses of rare species, such as the prickly pear cactus, antelope brush and western rattlesnake. Visitors can even participate in the educational sessions or adopt-a-rattlesnake project, part of the Rattlesnake Research Program, which has been operating in the region since 2003 to protect the species now at risk.

"It's a learning vacation," says general manager Charlotte Sanders. "Some people come for adventure, some for walks in nature, some for spirituality. Some come to see the desert plants, some to see the critters: the snakes, scorpions and skinks. Whether it's scorpion hunting, snake tagging or calling in the owls, there's something for everyone."

— Cori Howard

top